Freedom
by Jason Thompson
Summary: At the end of Crossroads, Kara returns and shows Lee a new path.


**Freedom**

A Battlestar Galactica (2005) Fan-fiction Story Author: Jason Thompson March 26, 2007

Disclaimer: Once upon a time there was a guy he wrote a story with characters and settings he didn't own, but he put a disclaimer on his story and that made it a little less illegal. Galactica is owned by Universal, Sci-fi Channel, Glen A Larson, David Eick and Ronald D Moore.

Category: AU; L. Adama/Kara amongst others.

Spoilers: Through 3x20.

Dedication: Dedicated to the usual suspects; Genova aka Schweet, Bri, Mary, Duchess, Dale, Blaire, Red, Stone Cold, Ice Wing, Arashi, Aslan, Vega, Tony D, Jen Zimmer, Louise, Sairs, and Queen Angel who have allowed me to bounce my ideas off them, and Krac, cause she has the evil bunny slippers.

**Freedom**

"_I've been to Earth, I know the way and I'm going to take us there._" Lee looked at her in shock. Kara was there, just feet away from him. Smiling and serene, she wasn't afraid anymore.

Despite seeing her Viper turn into a fireball right in front of him, despite the certainty of her death stabbing his heart every second of every day for nearly two months, he knew, he **_knew_** she was real. He felt a smile tug at his lips and the icy fingers digging into his heart since he lost her unclenched. "Kara." His free hand came up and he pressed his fingers to the canopy, desperate to feel her touch.

The approaching firefight forgotten as he was faced with the only thing he wanted, the only thing he'd ever want; Kara Thrace, alive and whole and by his side.

She mimicked the gesture, "_Miss me?_"

He laughed and sobbed at the same time, "I was dead inside. Nothing meant a damn anymore."

Kara shook her head, "_I'm sorry._"

He shook his head, "Don't be sorry."

She nodded then spoke with conviction, "_Do you trust me, Lee?_"

He nodded mutely for a moment before he spoke in a quiet and sure voice, "You know I do, with my life."

She gave him a grateful expression and said, "_Good, then it's time for us to go._" There was a flash and suddenly his panel went crazy for a moment. Then his proximity and collision alarms started wailing simultaneously.

&&&&&&&&&

The power fluctuated on Galactica, displays flickered, the lights went out and came back on and everyone tensed for whatever was going to happen next.

Karl had taken over at Tactical when Colonel Tigh resumed his post and he was the first to notice the suddenly erratic heading of the Cylon fleet. Two of the four Base Ships drifted towards each other and must have collided as their DRADIS signals merged then expanded. "_Galactica/Hot Dog, Cylon fleet has suffered power loss, the ships are drifting and two of the Base Ships have just collided! They're dead in the air!_"

A roar went up through CIC, the Gods had saw fit to save them again. He could hear the Admiral order them to go weapons free and cut the Cylons down. He looked up and caught sight of Hoshi's face at communications, unlike the joyous faces all around him, Hoshi's expression was grim.

Karl stood up and walked over the younger man, "What is it?"

"I'm getting some weird chatter from Apollo." He pressed his ear piece to his ear and his eyes widened. He hit the transmit button, "Racetrack/Galactica, bent bird!"

The Admiral turned to them and said, "On the speakers!"

Hoshi flipped the intercom switch and the overhead speakers crackled to life; "_-Peat! Krypter! Krypter! Krypter! This is Apollo. I'm declaring an emergency!_"

Racetrack's voice was shocked, "_Apollo/CAG, SitRep!_"

Static garbled his transmission, "_Col-ed… -th, Rai-… Suf-red… -stropic damage to tail… high… -gine gone… lateral control failure in-… -teen seconds. Pow-… -tems failing." There was a long pause, "Attemp-… -o cor-ct… -itude._"

Karl locked eyes with the Admiral and saw the tension gripping him, his stony mask was cracked and the worry for his son was evident, Hoshi spoke from behind, "Athena and Red Devil are en route… intercept in nineteen seconds. Red Devil reports visual with Apollo. They can not confirm his damage, no sign of the Raider."

Adama picked up a receiver and spoke, "Apollo/Actual, I'm ordering you to eject."

There was a pause, "_Pr-ary -jection… funct-… -egative._" At navigations, Karl watched Dee suck in a breath. "_Sec-d-ry ejec-… -ction neg-ve_."

"_Galactica/Red Devil. Apollo's bird has just gone in an uncontrolled lateral spin._" Karl turned back to the DRADIS and tried to will Lee's plane out of its seemingly imminent destruction.

&&&&&&&&&

Lee felt his ship lurch and go into a lateral spin; he was slammed against side of the cockpit by the wild G-force. His arms were pinned against his chest and he inched his hand slowly towards the ejection handle to try again. He voice came out of him in a desperate shout, "FRAK!"

Kara's voice came across his speakers, far clearer than the rest of the com chatter. "_Lee, it's alright. You don't have to be afraid, I'm here._"

&&&&&&&&&

The transmission was suddenly static free, they could hear every desperate noise made as he tried to right his plane or escape it. "_Kara! Help me!_" Karl's eyes widened and he looked back to the Old Man's desperate face.

Lee was cracking up right over the wireless. Bill's voice was pleading, "Apollo! Apollo! Lee! LEE!"

"_Kara! Please!_"

&&&&&&&&&

The universe was spinning out of control around him and he was pinned to his seat, he couldn't escape. The spinning became too much and his eyes were rolling into his head. "Kara!"

He distantly heard his father's desperate voice, "_Lee, listen to me-_"

At the same time, Kara's voice teased his ear, soft and calm and intoxicating. "_Lee, listen to me. It's time to let go. I'm here. I love you and I won't let anything happen to you._" He could feel the warmth of her presence as though she was sitting right next to him, "_Trust me._"

Despite the agony, Lee smiled, "I love you too, Kara."

"_Lee, Kara's not there! Listen to me, you are about to die! Son!_" His father's now frantic hails were fading in the background.

His vision began to go white and the pressure of the G-Force subsided, he could almost see Kara smiling as she said, "_It's okay, we'll be okay._"

&&&&&&&&&

"_It's okay, dad. I'm not afraid anymore. I'll see you soon._"

Bill watched the DRADIS screen, praying desperately for a miracle he knew wasn't coming, "Lee!"

His blip on the screen flickered and went out, at the same moment he heard Athena's voice over the wireless. "_Oh God! Galactica/Athena, Apollo's Viper exploded! No sign of the pilot. He's gone._"

Years of military training and decorum vanished in an instant and Bill was suddenly merely a father loosing a child for a third time. "NO! NO! LEE!" He slammed the receiver through the tac table and slumped against it.

Vaguely, he heard Tigh issue the recall order, he didn't care anymore. He rose up and turned for the nearest hatch to get as far from CIC as he could. He felt a hand on his arm and he shrugged them off violently, "Get the frak off me!"

He stumbled through the corridors and made it to his cabin. The photo on his desk drew his attention; he crossed the cabin picked up the framed photo of him and his sons in front of his Mark II. He'd tucked in a photo of Lee and Kara from just after the Tylium Moon strike after she'd died. Looking at it brought the pain to him and he welcomed it. He deserved this pain.

"Bill?" Laura's voice was like an accusation, one he felt compelled to agree with.

"I've killed them all. All three of my children died because of me and my pride. I should have listened to Carol Anne and discouraged Zak from flight school. I should have grounded Kara… I should have… Gods, none of them even knew." The picture in front of him began to blur and his eyes burned with barely restrained tears.

"They knew, Bill. They knew." She was closer and again he felt her touch. This time he couldn't bring himself to shrug her off. It just all seemed so pointless.

"No man should have to bury his children, not once. I've buried three, Laura." The pain turned to anger and he spun, the frame flying from his fingers to shatter against the wall.

As quickly as the anger came, it was gone. He turned shameful eyes on Laura, a part of him hoping to see condemnation. Even that was denied him, all he saw was sympathy. "Lie to me."

"What do you want me to say?"

"Tell me I'll see them again and that they'll forgive me."

She shook her head, "I can't, because I believe they really will see you again and forgive you. They loved you and love is forgiving. For now, I need your help, I can't do this without you."

He nodded, "I know Laura, but I'll need some time." She nodded and left him to his misery.

Lee's last words rang in his head. "_I'm not afraid anymore, I'll see you soon._"

Lee wasn't afraid, but that was all Bill had left. Fear… and regret.

&&&&&&&&&

A part of Lee had expected to awaken in pure white or perhaps the Elysian Fields. What he found was the Ready Room; he was standing behind the podium and looking out over empty seats.

All empty but one, Kara sat in the front row, center seat. Just like so many pre-flight briefings, the difference was her face. There was no sarcastic grin of cocky smirk, just the gentle expression he'd seen a few minutes before. Finally, she spoke, "Well, you are a CAG to the end. This is your idea of Elysium?"

He grinned and circled the podium to sit at her side, "Elysium is wherever you are." He chuckled, "As sappy and tacky as that sounds." The grin slowly fell apart, "It hurt so much."

He bowed his head and tried to swallow the pain. Kara was here now, there was no more need for tears, he felt her fingers caress the back of his neck. "I know. I know it hurt Lee. It hurt to leave you like that, but I needed to do this. I needed to come here and grow and embrace what I am instead of what I thought I was. Once I did that, that's when they showed me the path to Earth. They took me there, showed me their people. It's nothing like we expected, much less than what we hoped but so wonderful at the same time."

He raised his eyes to hers, "You're at peace." She nodded, "Did you bring me here… to… to find peace?" She smiled and nodded again, "Because you love me?"

She rolled her eyes, "Because you needed it… but if it will help inflate that ego of yours, yes because I love you."

He plucked her hand from the back of his neck and held it between both of his, "Dee left me, she served me divorce papers a few days ago." She nodded, "What about Sam?"

She leaned over and kissed his temple, "How would you feel about a three-way?" When he scowled at her she laughed that Starbuck laugh he hadn't heard in so long, "My path and Sam's path are no longer intertwined. We'll figure it out, but that comes later. They have a lot to teach you, and I have to go back and start the Fleet on the final road to Earth." She rose, using their joined hands to bring him to his feet, "They want to meet you and show you how to let go."

"Just step through the hatch, they're ready for you." She left a lingering kiss on his cheek, "I'll see you soon."

He nodded and turned towards the hatch, he took half a step before he turned back around, "Dad?"

She winked, "I'll make sure he knows I'm just the first to come home. He loves you, you know that right?"

He took a deep breath and felt some of that fear that had always been with him start to fade away, "I think I do, now." He squeezed their still joined hands and said, "You know I love you, right?"

She winked and the hatch opened behind him, bathing her face in that strange white light he saw before he showed up here. "No take-backs."

He chuckled, and pulled her to him for a quick kiss, he pulled back and brushed her nose with his for a moment before whispering. "For the record, the only three-way I would have agreed to would have been Kat. Though Showboat's a close second." Her laugh was like a warm blanket at a cold night.

He released her and turned to walk out of the hatch.

He finally felt free.

--End--


End file.
